EFE
As the vaccination programs advance throughout the world, the question about protecting children from Covid-19 and the possibility of administering vaccines to them has been a constant discussion. Today, the pharmaceutical companies, Pfizer and BioNTech, announced that the results of the latest clinical trials of their Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 years have generated a “robust” antibody response and are safe, bringing closer the possibility of an infant serum available by the end of October.
The tests were conducted on 2,268 participants between 5 and 11 years of age with inoculation of two doses of the vaccine, three weeks between each dose.
The doses used are 10 micrograms, instead of the 30 micrograms used in the vaccines for those over 12 years of age.
According to the company, the vaccine offered “a strong response in this group of children after the second dose” and “was also well-tolerated, with side effects comparable” to those of older people.
“We look forward to extending the protection given by the vaccine to the younger population, subject to regulatory clearance, especially now as we monitor the spread of the delta variant and the substantial threat it poses to children,” Albert Bourla, president of Pfizer, said in a statement.
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is formally approved in the U.S. by authorities for ages 16 and older and has emergency authorization for people between the ages of 12 and 15.
If the prior vaccine review process is completed, the vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 years could be available by the end of October.
Text and photos courtesy of EFE
Translated by María Isabel Carrasco Cara Chards